


Dream a Little Dream of Me

by Chrysanthos



Category: Dora the Explorer (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Noir, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 07:24:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17762378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrysanthos/pseuds/Chrysanthos
Summary: Gumshoe Isidora Márquez is notified of the return of an old rival by an equally-estranged friend, Benito.





	Dream a Little Dream of Me

Isidora Márquez gave a rough sigh as she leaned out of her office window. She took a drag from her cigarette, then blew the smoke out in the shape of a ring. Isidora grimaced at the taste, but shook her head. _If the job won't kill me,_ Isidora decided, taking another drag, _Then the nicotine surely will._

There came a knock at the door, and Isidora sighed, flicking the cigarette onto the fire escape. She sat down at her desk. "¡Adelante!" She called out.

"You've been looking well, Dora," Said a rough voice as a huge lumbering bull walked in. Isidora gave a lopsided grin as she stood up.

"Benito," Isidora drawled happily, "It's been much, much too long. ¿Cómo has estado?" She took Benito's hoof and shook it gently.

"He estado mejor..." Benito grumbled, returning the handshake. He cracked his neck, and Isidora had to refrain from giggling - Benito was always rough around the edges, even when they were kids. "You got a job in, Dora?"

"No, no, not at all," Isidora replied. She tilted her head to the side quizzically. "Why?"

"It's Swiper."

That was all Isidora needed to hear. She immediately went over to her desk and pulled out a gun. Benito flinched at the glint of silver. Isidora pretended not to notice. "I see... Has that hijo de perra finally returned to his life of crime?" She hissed, loading five bullets into the chamber.

"Er..." Benito pulled at the bandanna around his neck. "Dora, promise me you won't get mad, but, er..."

"What?" Isidora slammed the chamber into the gun.

"...He... He never stopped."

Isidora idly hoped she remembered she had closed the window as she began to let out a stream of curses that would have caused Boots to die again.

 

* * *

 

Swiper's bloodshot eyes snapped open. The fox sat up in his cot, and held his head in his paw and he groaned himself awake. Another nightmare.

Swiper softly got on his feet and walked over to the dingy vanity. The motel was horribly dirty. Good thing he wouldn't be staying here.

He looked into the mirror and dragged a paw down his face, exposing the inside flesh of his eye socket briefly before it snapped back into place. He had certainly grown older since he was last in this town, he decided. Despite the grime in the mirror, he could see the desk that Map and Backpack were sleeping on. The two Living Weapons had come into possession the only way Swiper knew how.

It truly was funny, if Swiper had the luxury to laugh. The duo, despite having bonded with Isidora from a young age, were still just Living Weapons in the end, able to be used by anyone. Unfortunately, they were still alive regardless, and were very much opinionated.

They still wouldn't talk to him. Not after Boots.

Swiper didn't blame them.

Swiper smacked his face, the turned back into the mirror. He hardened his gaze, then reached down to pick up the rusty scissors offered free by the motel. He snipped off a bit of overgrown fur.

One last job.

_Snip_

One last time.

_Snip_

Once more, Dora.

_Snip_

 

* * *

 

Isa walked with Benito and Dora. "And you're sure that it's Swiper?" She asked, although she already knew the answer. Dora was never the same after Boots, and the fact that Dora had even reached out to her at all was a miracle in and of itself.

"Without a doubt," Benito replied, producing a small playing card. Dora's eyes narrowed as she zeroed in on the small rectangle. "I got this in the mail today. It was clearly signed, too - not even I could get it wrong."

"Let me see that," Dora curtly interrupted, snatching the card out of Benito's hoof. Isa blinked - the iguana had never seen Dora's hands move that fast. "'Dear Benny, I'm going to end this petty feud once and for all. Isa's place, of course. Don't tell the police, but do tell a certain meddling detective - this is a private affair, after all. Swiper'. I hate him." Dora grit her teeth the more she read the card.

Isa gingerly took the card from Dora's seething hands. She wasn't sure why she was surprised - of course it was a blank card. "But are we sure it's Swiper, and not, I don't know, a copycat?" Isa asked, adjusting her glasses.

"I'd recognize that scrawl anywhere," Dora replied, "And I'm going to take him up on the offer." She flashed the revolver tucked away into her jacket, and Isa's eyes widened.

"Dora!" Isa squealed, then, after looking around, whispered, "I'd rather not have you have a gun in the museum, you know."

"Museum?" Benito interjected.

"Well, obviously, Benny," Isa replied, "The museum just got in a rare Kahlo. We were planning on having an exhibition to last the next week, but..." A silence fell over the trio.

"Have the exhibition," Dora commanded after a bit. Isa turned to her longtime friend. "It's always nice, running into old friends in a museum."

"But, Dora..." Isa began, concern in her heart. Dora held up a hand, then took out a cigarette and lit it.

"It's alright, Isa," Dora said, blowing out some smoke, "This is my favorite part of being a private detective." Despite the humor in her voice, Dora didn't smile.

Isa hoped Dora knew what she was doing.

 

* * *

 

Swiper tied his blue bandanna around his eyes as he looked through the skylight of the museum. Just as he thought, the exhibition had gone on as planned.

The effect of the Living Weapon Map was that it could 'map' out a path to any location within about three steps. The steps to arrive at his currently desired situation were as follows:

1\. Rile up longtime rival, Dora.  
2\. Set up timed charges to overload the power grid of the museum.  
3\. Climb up to the roof to this exact spot.

As Swiper waited for the charges to go off, he reached into Backpack and pulled out an apple. The Living Weapon Backpack's effect was much simpler: it could store within itself quite literally anything within a state of temporal and spacial stasis. Swiper had yet to determine the upper limits of how much he could store within Backpack, but he was certain that boundary was still quite a ways off.

Swiper's watch went off. The lights cut off. Screams filled the room.

 _Showtime,_ Swiper thought as he pulled out a glass-cutting tool and grinned sharply.

 

* * *

 

Isidora ran through the dark halls, gun drawn. She knew that Swiper would be making his move, but she didn't think it would be on the first night of the exhibition. Although that did fit that zorro maldito, she supposed. He always did have a dramatic streak.

Isidora stopped. Did she hear that right?

It almost sounded like-

_tss-tsss tsss_

Isidora's eyes narrowed. She immediately kicked down the door.

"Aww, man, you found me, huh, Dora?"

It was Swiper the Fox. Isidora grit her teeth.

"I mean, I guess it was just a matter of time, huh?" Swiper was leaning against the wall, Backpack ( _Backpack!_ ) slung over his shoulder as casually as he could. The Kalho was nowhere to be seen. "However, it's like old times again. You're too-"

_Bang_

Isidora's gun muzzle smoked as she spun the chamber. Swiper never lost his grin, but now his bandana was torn from where the bullet had grazed it. "Next time, I won't miss, cabrón." Isidora hissed.

"Oh, of course! You never miss, right?" Swiper said in a weirdly taunting, almost unconcerned tone as he began to walk across the room. Isidora kept her gun trained on the fox. "But is this really what you want, Dora? To have my blood on your hands? Boots wouldn't want that."

Isidora fired the gun again, but Swiper dodged deftly and the bullet harmlessly embedded itself in the wall. "You don't get to say his name, pendejo." Isidora gritted out. "Now, answer me. Where's the Kahlo?"

"Isn't it obvious, Dora?" Swiper asked, and he reached into Backpack and pulled out a grappling gun. Isidora instantly knew what he meant. "But you'll never find it now." He fired the gun directly upwards, and it caught on a hole in a skylight. Isidora figured he must have cut it out beforehand. "Adios, Dora. Good to know you're still the only challenge I could have. Give my regards to Boots."

Isidora fired her gun at the rope of the grappling gun, causing it to fray, but not snap. Next, she fired at Swiper, hitting him in his free arm. Finally, she fired at Backpack, severing the strap neatly. Swiper tried to catch the falling Living Weapon, but due to the bullet wound, he couldn't without feeling tremendous pain. Isidora rushed over and caught Backpack, slinging her over her shoulder.

"Hello again, Dora," Backpack muttered happily, "It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?"

"Tch," Swiper tsked, snapping his fingers. He winced. "Okay, that's actually really bad. Oh well. Dora, it's been fun, but I'm afraid I can't stick around anymore. This job's a failure, and it's all thanks to you. See you." And with that, he began to reel up on the grappling gun's line, his light weight not impacting the frayed rope at all.

"Pare!" Isidora shouted, aiming her gun and pulling the trigger.

_Click_

Isidora growled wildly as she began to shoot her empty gun over and over at the receding figure of Swiper the Fox. Even after Swiper had left. Even after Benito ran in and gently took the gun out of her hand.

Even after Isidora had collapsed to her knees, futilely gazing into the night sky with silent tears gracing her eyes.

 

* * *

 

It was a snowy day when Isidora arrived.

"Hey, Boots." She said, cigarette silently smoldering in her lips.

"Yeah, things are going well, I guess. Reconnected with Benny and Isa."

"Tico? It's been years, but he's moved out of this town. Good for him, too. Although his boyfriend was kind of obnoxious."

"Diego hasn't called me in a long time, but when you're president, what can you do?"

"I... I got Backpack and Map back. I thought you might like to know that."

Isidora took out a candle and some matches from Backpack. Placing them inside the tombstone, she lit the candle and said a brief, silent prayer.

"That's weird, Boots. Who gave you these flowers?"

A bit away, behind a dead tree, a lone figure stood and watched the detective. Finally, after seeing enough, he turned around, his fox tail swishing as he disappeared into the snow.

**Author's Note:**

> God can't hear you


End file.
